Man sentenced to death for participating in billion-dollar drug trafficking deal
(Baonghean.vn) - In debt, Hoang Minh Tam borrowed money from a friend and went from Hung Yen to Nghe An to buy drugs. The defendant calculated that if this business deal was successful, he would pocket 300 million VND.
On December 16, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Hoang Minh Tam (33 years old), residing in Phung Hung commune, Khoai Chau district (Hung Yen) for the crime of"Illegal drug trafficking".
According to the investigation agency's documents, in early January 2020, Tam met a man named Cuong (unknown background and specific address). On May 20, Cuong called Tam to order 1 kg of crystal meth, 1 kg of ketamine, 2 heroin bars and 30 packages of pink phien for 1 billion VND. Tam agreed.
On May 30, Tam called a man named Tuong (Lao nationality) to order 1 kg of crystal meth, 1 kg of ketamine, 2 heroin bars and 30 packages of pink phien for 700 million VND. Tam asked to pay 300 million VND in advance, the remaining amount would be paid when the drugs were sold.
 |
| Defendant Hoang Minh Tam was sentenced to death. Photo: Tran Vu |
On the morning of June 1, Tam took a bus from Hung Yen to Thong Thu Border Gate in Tien Phong Commune (Que Phong) to buy drugs. Upon arrival, Tam gave 300 million VND to Tuong and received drugs in his backpack.
After receiving the drugs, Tam took them to his boarding house in Dien Yen commune (Dien Chau). On the afternoon of June 2, Cuong and another man went to Tam’s boarding house to get the drugs. The man accompanying Cuong put the “goods” in a cardboard box and asked Tam to bring the box to the gate to receive the money.
When Tam brought the drug container to the gate of the motel, he was caught red-handed by the anti-drug crime task force of the Coast Guard Command. Taking advantage of the loophole, Cuong and the man with him escaped. The evidence of the case was more than 3.2 kg of drugs.
In the witness stand, defendant Tam admitted to drug trafficking as charged in the indictment. The defendant stated that he borrowed money to trade drugs because of debt. The defendant admitted that if this business deal was successful, he would pocket 300 million VND.
The defendant presented his difficult circumstances, divorced his wife and had no one to raise his young child, and asked the court for a chance to live.
Considering that the amount of drugs the defendant participated in buying and selling in this case was exceptionally large, the panel sentenced Hoang Minh Tam to death for the crime of “Illegal drug trafficking”./.
